//------------------------------// // Episode 13: Mane Six: Together Once More // Story: My Little Pony: The Days of New Equestria (Season 2) // by ScorchingFlamesInc //------------------------------// Princess Twilight and Spike were all alone in the throne room, passing time by going through some of the unopened scrolls and forms they’ve obtained throughout the morning. “What do you want to do with this one?” Spike asked, holding up a scroll. “What does it say?” “Let’s see here…” Spike opened up the scroll and proceeded to read it, quietly mumbling the whole time. Finally, he gave Twilight a quick rundown of the scroll. “Griffonstone is hoping you’d stop by for another Friendship-rally.” “When?” inquired the Princess. “Hmmm… next Wednesday, begins at three, expected to end at five.” “Of course! I’ll be sure to let them know I’ll be there.” The doors to the throne room opened, and Gallus poked his head in. “Your majesty?” he spoke. “Your friends are here.” “Great!” Twilight beamed. “Thank you for the notice.” Gallus nodded and left. “It’s not that often where you and the others are able to get a bonus day,” said Spike, as he proceeded with putting the scrolls in a bag. “Oh, sure, your visit with them for the next moon is still underway, but it’s a bit earlier than our usual scheduled date…” “…Which, by the way, is still happening.” “…yep! Anyway, here’s hoping today doesn’t go wrong like the last visit…” “I’ve got all of our guards on high alert, and I've ensured that I'd get an alert if things do go wrong..” “But we know that there’s still villains out there. And when things are silent for over a month, something’s bound to happen… um… what should I do with this bag?” “You can leave it beside you for the time being. And for your last statement, I guess I can see where you're coming from. But I don't think there is a need for too much..." Twilight smirked. "Twilight-ing..." Spike snorted, nearly laughing outright. It's always been a rare occurrence for Twilight to use her own verb… one that’s barely been needed for years. The doors to the throne room opened, and one-by-one, the rest of the Mane 6 filed in, with Pinkie and Rainbow Dash being among the first. "Hi, Twilight!!! Hi, Spike!!!" Pinkie bounced, as jolly and happy as she's always been. "Hey girls!" Princess Twilight stood up. "I'm so glad you five could be here!" "Oh, Twilight, darling, it's our pleasure," said Rarity. "The moment we found out that all had some time to ourselves, how could we not stop by?" "Besides, it would totally make up for what happened last time," Rainbow Dash said. "Ah' agree!" Applejack nods. "It didn't really end on a high-note." "Well, trust me girls, things will be different!" Twilight assured. "I promise, that nothing will interfere with our time together." "I hope you're right..." Fluttershy said. But meanwhile, outside Canterlot, an unexpected guest was on his way to meet up with the Princess. ... Intro ... The Mane Six, along with Spike, all enjoyed themselves at their old favorite picnic spot. They laughed, ate, and sometimes did their own thing on the side, just like how things have always been. The girls were currently catching up on what's been going on since they last met, and Spike sat and listened, occasionally dropping comments here and there. They all laughed after reminiscing about the first Running of the Leaves that occurred when Twilight was in Ponyville. "It's still amazing how athletic we are, and yet Twilight still beat us!" Rainbow laughed. "We sure learned our lesson," said Applejack. "One of the first few out of many," Spike said. "...Speaking of the Running of the Leaves..." Princess Twilight spoke up. "Today's the day where it's finally happening after those delays. Where do you all stand on us making a little visit there, later today?" "Well, I wouldn't mind stopping by today," Fluttershy replied. The rest of the Mane Six gave a similar answer. "I'll probably need to dress a little more appropriately for an occasion like that," said Rarity. "Ooh, this will be exciting!" Pinkie grinned, speaking in her usual fast tone. "I mean, not like a great ultra spectacular birthday party exciting, but still more like a hanging out and doing something fun with my best-est friends exciting!" Twilight and Spike shared glances and smirks while her friends discussed the activity at hand. "Some things never change..." Spike smiled. "Then it's settled!" Princess Twilight said. "We'll get this cleaned up, I'll check on the castle, and then we'll be on our way!" "Sounds good!" Rainbow Dash hovered a bit higher. "See ya then!" She then zoomed away, without warning. However, moments later, she returned, and was met with raised eyebrows from her friends. "Heh... my bad. I'll lend a hoof." Castle... "...so I'll be gone for a little while longer today, Gallus. Do you think you can handle that?" While her friends and Spike waited outside in the carriage, Princess Twilight made sure to let Gallus know she'd be out in Ponyville. She usually doesn't do it often, but since it was out of schedule today, she made an exception. "You can count on me, your majesty," said Gallus. "Thank you." The Princess turned to leave, but two guards then ran in without warning, seeming highly alert. "Princess!!!" one of the guards exclaimed. "We have some very urgent news! It's King Sombra!" Princess Twilight became more alert, but not as alert because of what happened the last time they met. "...and?" "He's back! He showed up here today, but... he surrendered! More of us are keeping him captive outside! He's requesting you." Twilight glanced at Gallus, and the griffon nodded in response. "Okay..." she finally said. "Take me to him." The guards led Twilight outside, while Gallus stayed behind. They didn't get far before they finally met up with King Sombra. He was emotionless, but at the same time, he didn't even move a muscle while he had spears pointed at him. There was also a familiar ring placed on his horn... a magic inhibitor ring. "Greetings, Princess..." he greeted, not seeming like he was itching for a fight. Twilight didn't act threatening to him either. "King Sombra... I wasn't expecting to see you hear. Apparently, you... surrendered?..." "Indeed... you seem surprised to see me. " “I am. I really am. It’s so shocking to see you here without picking a fight." "Understandable, I suppose..." King Sombra said. "But... why are you here?..." "After being alone, contemplating what I should do, I've decided to come here." Twilight, even though she should have expected something like this, was partially stunned. It seemed completely off for King Sombra, of all unredeemed villains, to show up and surrender out of the blue. But as she recalled, she herself agreed to give him time. Perhaps she just wasn’t expecting this to be the outcome. Or it was always destined to be a shock. "What should we do with him, Princess?" one of the guards asked. "... bring him to the cells. We'll figure out what we'll do with him later. He can't do anything, anyways." "Um... about that Princess..." a female guard spoke up. "The cells are contaminated. We don't know what the source of the problem is, or what it even is in general, but it's not safe to take prisoners in there." "Well, then... just keep an eye on him," Princess Twilight suggested. "Or I could come with you..." Sombra suggested. "What do you mean?" "You're all about friendship, am I wrong? If I really want to reach a verdict, I might as well learn from somepony that knows all about it." Again, Twilight found it extremely seedy. It was really tempting to say no, but if it wasn’t for what happened the last time he was involved with something, she wouldn’t have the urge to say yes. Still, something was off, especially since this was King Sombra she was dealing with. And yet... she felt a desire to let him tag along. "Don't worry princess," a third guard said. "A few of us will join you if you decide to take him." Twilight took another look at King Sombra, his emotions still hidden. Whatever decision she was going to make, she knew the situation was going to be off either way. Plus, she wasn't always a fan of letting the Princess part of her life interfere with a fun time with her friends. ... ... After what felt like ages, Twilight’s friends finally saw her approach the carriage. “There you are!” Applejack exclaimed. “What took you so long?” Fluttershy asked. “Well… it’s kind of a long story…” said the Princess. She was holding her tongue, but she knew she had to be honest. “Long story short… we have some guests coming along with us.” “Oooh, some surprise guests!” Pinkie grinned. “Who is it?” Twilight wasn’t looking forward to this part. “It’s… um… it’s King Sombra and a few of my guards… heh…” All of Twilight’s friends, including Spike, shrieked. ”KING SOMBRA?!?!” “Wait, I’m confused…” Rarity spoke. “…King Sombra? I know about the part where he’s returned, but I thought he was working with Grogar now!” “I haven’t… really caught up with you all on that. You see, a day after what happened at Canterlot, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow had to save the day… again… but they weren’t alone. I took part, and so did Spike and a majority of our royal guards, but the three of them did the heavy lifting with some other help… King Sombra’s help.” “… and according to the three of them, King Sombra had a new leader,” Spike continued. “A red clone of Leo. But King Sombra found out a thing or two about this clone leader that, for some reason, caused him to ask for their help and make a brief truce.” “But there’s more," said Twilight. "After all that was said and done, King Sombra ran off. But not before we tried to tell him that he could abandon his ways, keep the truce permanent, and learn friendship along with the other three. He refused. But it wasn’t in his usual way… whatever happened during that fight, it made him more hesitant. We let him go… maybe it was a good choice, maybe not… and now, he’s back.” "And you're all of a sudden giving 'him the benefit of the doubt?" Applejack asked. "Listen, I completely understand... it's sketchy, weird, out of his character, and unexpected. But I feel like I should give him a chance. Just one." "After one encounter?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Listen, Twilight, we understand you're the princess and all that, but we're your friends, too," said Rarity. "We're fine with how some of your royal duties have to follow us to our activities... granted, it's not the best, but we respect it... but you bringing King Sombra just feels so... risky." "I have a bunch of guards to keep an eye on him, and he's not resisting anything we implement on him," Twilight explained. "Listen I agree with you, but... could you all please give this a chance? Like with Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow?" "That's different," Fluttershy said. "They saved Equestria." "Technically, King Sombra did too. He didn't do it with good intentions entirely, unlike when the trio stopped Grogar, but he chose to do it." "Hey..." Spike realized. "Has anyone seen Pinkie?..." *Meanwhile...* "...and while Twilight and her friends were talking about you, I decided to come over and see for myself. I was like, 'I don't know, he's been a big meany-pants before, I don't know if I can trust him.' And don't get me wrong, I'm still skeptical, but as I said, I was curious, and..." As Pinkie Pie rambled on and on about her reaction to Sombra's surrender, her distrust, and her story about approaching him and meeting him, King Sombra whispered to a guard. "... how often was she like this?..." "...About half as often as she was twenty years ago..." the guard replied. "I guess aging and having a foal can do that to ya." "She has a child, now?... I wonder how much the father puts up with it..." "The father's very similar, actually..." "So, here's the deal, I still don't trust you..." for a split second when she said that, Pinkie suddenly went from bubbly to serious and stern, and pressed her muzzle against Sombra's. She quickly pulled back though, and her grin returned. "...but as we learned, everypony deserves a second chance! If you're lying and you don't want one, we will be ready for you, but if you truly want one, then we'll become best friends! I could throw you a huge reformation party! But wait, I didn't throw one for the trio, either... oh, no! I'm overdue!" King Sombra silently wished that he was still in the aether. *Twilight...* "...remember one of the lessons we learned? About second chances? Why don't we just give him a chance?" Princess Twilight said. "Listen... we'll take him. But we'll be prepared for if he really tries to undermine us. If he does, I'll assume responsibility for the problem." "That's one of the reasons why we're against this," Fluttershy replied. "We don't want you to be directly responsible for the problem." "I'm glad you're all looking out for me, but sometimes, mistakes are a way of learning. You five don't always have to have my flank. I'm putting effort to keep him contained. I won't let him interfere with our time together. And if he tries anything funny... I'll be ready. We'll all be ready. And we won't be alone. Like I said, I agree with you on the situation, but I'm doing this because there's evidence out there that he truly doesn't want to cause trouble. You don't have to trust him, but I ask of you to please give him one chance, like I am." Twilight's friends wanted to continue protesting, but they were already losing most of their day, and besides... with Twilight's precautions, the villain can't do much. They all exchanged unsure looks, and whispered a little. It was Applejack who spoke up. "Alright, Twilight..." she started. "...we'll give him a chance. And if he tries anythin' at all, we'll be gal'darn ready." "Thank you. I'll let them know about the verdict. And then, find Pinkie Pie... wherever she wound up." *Running of the Leaves...* By the time they all got there, there was already a decent crowd around the starting line. Everycreature and pony parted to make way for the Princess and her friends, though there were understandably a few stares and whispers due to Sombra's appearance. A few ponies were about to go out, but a changeling pointed out that if he was with Twilight and imprisoned, then it was under her control (though a filly still threw an apple at Sombra's head, causing him to silently growl. "No problems, nothing to see here, just watching the show!" Rainbow Dash said, flying around the group in an attempt to quiet everyone down. "Got quite an assortment of runners today," Rarity analyzed. "Huh... look at that," Spike pointed. "Tirek's here!" Over at the starting point, Tirek stretched his limbs, getting ready to take part in the event. "HI TIREK!!!" Pinkie climbed on top of Spike and waved. Tirek noticed them and waved back, though for a moment, it was clear that he spotted King Sombra. "Very interesting, indeed..." Sombra muttered. "So what is it that you all do here in this event?" "We, the audience, watch them, the runners," Spike answered. "That's... pretty much it." "Do we follow them, or-" "Nope!" Applejack shook her head. "Interesting way to spend an event..." King Sombra rolled his eyes. "It's not always about the event," said the Princess. "It's about the time you spend with your friends." Sombra snorted. The Mane Six and Spike decided to ignore him, and talk about other things. Sombra just scanned the whole area, ignoring the questionable gazes, while the guards near him stood close. The air horn started to play, and two heads poked up from the hot air balloon above. "Racers, take your places!!!" Luster Dawn's voice boomed. Up in the balloon, Leo cowered in the basket. "Why... why did they make me do this?..." he gulped. "Didn't you insist on doing it?" "Well now I regret it... why can't you just let me down?..." "Sorry, Leo, but I gotta keep this thing up for the race. I told you that." Leo whimpered. Down below, the racers started to group up. As the Mane Six, Spike, the guards, and Sombra all witnessed what was going on, Starlight Glimmer approached her former mentor. "Aw, I like seeing all of you together..." she smiled. "Though..." Starlight leaned forward and whispered to Twilight. "Why the hay is King Sombra here?" "Long story. Giving him a chance, even though it's probably a bad idea," Twilight responded. "Then, why do it?..." "Because I felt an impulse to do so. Anyways, how are things going at the school?" Starlight wanted to continue, but she decided to shrug it off for now. "It's all going pretty well. Most of the students are passing, and we're working well with those that need it. I was actually hoping to talk to you a little bit about the school's future... you know... events, and classes, and new teachers. All of that stuff. You can say no, but I promise it will be quick." "Sure, I can do that." Twilight focused on her friends. "Um... girls? I'm going to have a small conversation with Starlight. Is that okay?" "Yes, that's okay," Fluttershy nods. "You bett'r be quick though, if you don't wanna miss the race," said Applejack. "You have my word..." Twilight and Starlight then stepped aside, leaving the Mane Six and Spike with Sombra and the guards. When all of Twilight's friends looked at them, he was giving them a cold stare right back at them. ... ... "On your marks, get set, go!!!" The racers took off, the ground thundering when Tirek ran. When the race started, so did the quiet personal conversation between Twilight's friends. "I can't take this. I'm going to confront him, face-to-face," Rainbow hissed. Applejack stopped her. "Now hold it there, Rainbow Dash, Ah' feel the same way you do, but we're in a public place here, and we're not about to cause drama." "Yeah, he's a big party pooper, but we don't want to be party poopers, too!" Pinkie whispered louder than the others. "You're whispering a little loud, Pinkie..." Rarity said through her teeth. "I hear it all," King Sombra interrupted. "You're all whispering a little loud." More eyes were focused on the group. "Let's just take this somewhere else... a little far from the crowd," Spike suggested. He then pointed a claw at one of the guards. "You! Could you stay behind so you can tell Princess Twilight we're we'll be if she comes back?" The guard gave a salute and nodded. "Come on, girls." Spike led Twilight's friends, Sombra, and the few other guards away from where they'd likely be heard. By the time they were out, the crowd was visible, but Spike was confident that they were all out of earshot. "So?..." King Sombra said. "Spit it out already!" "Well... you see..." Fluttershy started, not seeming as miffed as the others (aside from Pinkie Pie). Before Fluttershy could finish, Rainbow Dash cut to the chase. "We don't trust you!" "Of course you don't!" King Sombra rebutted. "I mean, how could you not, when a tyrant like me shows up out of nowhere, suddenly claiming to have that desire to change for the better? "AHA! So you are faking!" Pinkie pointed. "Just because I say the word 'claim' doesn't mean I'm faking anything. But do you really want to know!" "We'd like it if you were honest..." Spike's arms crossed. "Fine! Yes, when I first came here, I did have malicious intentions." Twilight's friends all gasped, and the guards around Sombra all raised their spears. "BUT!" King Sombra slowly lowered a spear with his hoof. "... I couldn't do it." Rainbow Dash burst out in laughter. "I'm sorry..." she wheezed. "But I'm not buying that!" "It's true! I was prepared. Magic charged, all my hate and rage channeled, a whole entire plan mapped out to take the Canterlot Throne... because after all, with your Princess out of the picture first, things will be slightly easier even though her personal fighters would try to stop me. After Canterlot, the Crystal Empire, and the rest of Equestria as we know it. But as I advanced closer, ready to strike, I remembered the dream I had..." "Dream?" Rarity asked. "Mind you, it's a bit difficult to fully remember, but I just remember seeing a familiar face. Somepony too familiar to me. She spoke to me, tried reasoning, all of that. It wouldn't have entirely worked, if it wasn't for who that pony was." "Who was she?" inquired Fluttershy. For the first time ever, all of Sombra's witnesses could see him in an unfamiliar mood... genuine sadness? Bittersweet reminiscence? Both? Either way, it was new for all of them. Sombra's eyes diverted away, but only for a brief moment. "You could say, she's the only light in a void of darkness." Applejack was ready to ask another question, but right then, Twilight found them. "There you all are! What was going on?" "Oh, we just had a little chat, is all..." the tyrant answered. "We'll talk about it later," Rarity said. "That's just fine. Anyways, do you all need more time?" "Nah! Ah' think we're good, for now. Ah' wanna see how the race ends." "Tirek's probably gonna win..." Rainbow betted. *End of the Race...* When Tirek got past the finish line, the ground thundered once again, and the banner got tangled on his horns. "Called it!!!" Rainbow Dash hoof-pumped. "And Tirek's the winner!" Luster Dawn's voice echoed. Princess Twilight leaned closer to King Sombra. "Sombra, a word with you please?" "Are you bringing the guards?..." Twilight nodded, and straightened herself up. "Girls, I'll be right back. I have some business to attend to with King Sombra." "Aww..." Pinkie whined. "I'll be quick. I promise." "You can go, Twilight. It's okay," Fluttershy assured. "Thank you, Fluttershy. Follow me..." For the second time, King Sombra was lead away from the group, in order to have his second private conversation. "Yet another private conversation?..." Sombra said. "What is it now?" "Listen, King Sombra. Whether you truly want to change or not doesn't change the fact that you've put Equestria in danger multiple times. You destroyed the Tree of Harmony, and you've acted as an accomplice to Grogar." "So, what? Are you sentencing me? To my knowledge, the other three never got sentenced!" "Technically, the other three already served their sentence before they reformed... they didn't do anything when they were finally released afterwards. You, on the other hoof, have done plenty of harm after returning from the Aether. I don't normally sentence those who want to change, or already changed, but I'm afraid I have to make an exception for you until I know for certain I can feel safe letting you free. That's why I am going to sentence you to, at most, a month-long imprisonment in Tartarus. I'll figure out your fate as the month carries on, and if I decide to let you go, then I'll go and do just that... though that won't be the end of things." "But... wh-..." King Sombra stammered a little before he finally sighed. "Very well... I suppose it's better than the Aether, anyway." Twilight felt like commenting about how Sombra barely argued back, but she decided to let it slide. Don't judge everything by a lack of argument. "I'm thankful of your cooperation," Twilight nods. "Now let's go return with the others." *Rest of Twilight's friends...* "So... what do we do now?..." Pinkie asked her friends. "Maybe we should... apologize?" Fluttershy suggested. "Apologize?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Fluttershy, he's a tyrant!" "But he hasn't caused us any trouble the whole time!" "I agree with Fluttershy on this one," Rarity piped up. "I can't read minds or anything, but I feel like I should give him the benefit of the doubt... he's said he's hesitated an attack, he didn't run away, and, like Fluttershy said, he's been giving us no trouble at all." "Ah' dunno..." Applejack mumbled. "He seemed kinda' sketchy to me, but there's clearly two sides on the situation, here." "I think we should give him a chance," Pinkie said. "I mean, sure he nearly destroyed us all a buncha times, but what if he is reeeeaaally sorry?" "I will believe it when I see it." Rainbow crossed her hooves. "Well sometimes, you need to believe it to see it," said Spike. "Look, even if we don't trust him, at the very least, giving him one more chance may be a good move. And if he does still plan on doing evil things, then... well... we'll be ready for him." "I mean... it's just hard to. I don't know. Maybe I am cutting to the chase because of how out of place this is for him, but is trusting a notorious tyrant really a good move?" "As I said... we'll be ready in case." Princess Twilight and the others returned. "We're back!" she exclaimed. "I was informing King Sombra about his sentence." "What are you going to do with him?" asked Fluttershy. "He'll be spending a month in Tartarus, while we figure out what to do with him." "I see..." Rarity murmured. There was a silence among them while the crowd continued either occasionally watching them, or proceeding with their own discussions and activities. "Uhm... King Sombra?..." Applejack started. "Ah' wanna be among the rest of the first to say that... while Ah' still don't trust you... I'd be willing to give you a chance... just one." "Me too," said Fluttershy. "Me three!!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Me as well, I suppose," Rarity spoke. Rainbow hesitated, but she gave in. "Oh, alright." King Sombra's head tilted. "You... you're all really willing to give me the benefit of the doubt?" "Of course, we don't condone your actions..." Rarity started. "But if you're truly sorry, then we'll be willing to give you a chance in time. Sombra didn't know what to say. Giving him a chance? His feelings about it were on-par with how they felt about his return... shocked and skeptical. More feelings and thoughts started to surface, but he mentally tucked them away... he'll get back to them once he's alone. "...Thank you." Was all that he said. "I suppose if I want those around me to forgive me after doing so much and barely atoning, I must give it time, effort, or both." Twilight smiled and nodded. "Should we head back to the castle?" Fluttershy asked. "We could..." Twilight began. "...Or, we could enjoy our time in Ponyville just a little bit longer." "Oooh, I would like that! Anypony up for some Sugarcube Corner treats?" Twilight laughed. "Of course, Pinkie. Spike?" "What about King Sombra?" Twilight scanned the area. It was bustling with activity, and many ponies and creatures began to roam a little bit farther away since the race was over. "Take him to Tartarus," Twilight told the guards. "Have a trusted ally join with you." "Right away, your highness!" a guard saluted. "Thank you. Come on, Spike. Let's relive old times once more!" The guards started to lead King Sombra away, likely to a powerful or intelligent being that can help keep him in check in case he slips up. Along the way, he saw up ahead the team of four, consisting of Tirek, Chrysalis, Leo, and Cozy Glow. While Leo and Cozy Glow talked, so did Chrysalis and Tirek, before they wrapped in a hug. Sombra could recognize what it was. Love. Perhaps it was a contributing factor to what made them better beings. Better examples for what reformed villains can become. And deep down, seeing that love on the outside was something that he knew, he could potentially find... if those circumstances were to ever be true. He took a final look at the Princess and the others, advancing further away from him, becoming more like dots in the upcoming sunset haze. And even from a far distance, he could see their smiles and laughter. *Meanwhile... far off in the lair...* Gizmos sat at his large bench, resuming the process of making his secret creation. The one that would be part of his upcoming plan, if all else fails with Sephtis. Slowly, he went to insert a green lens in its left optic until… “Boo!” Lilith spooked him. “Gah!” Startled, Gizmos accidentally severed the iris into the horn section, ruining the iris. Gizmos was unamused, while Lillith simply laughed. “Hehehehe! Did I get ya?” Lilith giggled. Gizmos fixed his robe up. “Little bit… although you could’ve knocked, then I would have let you in. You’re welcome to peruse my room you know.” “Well I just like messing with creatures,” Lilith remarked, while Gizmos simply rolled his eyes. Gizmos uses one of his tentacles to reach for another green lens. Lilith was curious. “Whatcha makin?” she asked. “Secret” “A secret even to your little friend?” Lilith used her puppy eyes to coax him to spill the beans. Gizmos easily surrendered. “Fine…” he said. “It’s my… passion project.” “Passion project? Tell me more!” “It's my project to recreate SB-001.” “SB-001?” “My faithful companion…she was my sword for the war against divinity of the Organics, in the distant future…” he explained, motioning to his work-in-progress project on the table. Lilith was impressed at the design. “So cool!” Gizmos smiled. “Thank you Lilith. It means so much to me…” His optics gazed away intensely, the memories of that devastating war… the war that he unleashed. Lilith waved a hoof in front of him to get his attention. “Hello! Earth to Gizmos! Are you there?” “Wha? Oh, sorry! I wasn’t paying attention…” he scratched behind his head. “So this war against divinity…” Lilith started. “What caused that catastrophe? And does it involve your creators?” The word creator internally stuns him, his memories flooded with the horrible experience of him being separated with someone he-. A loud banging erupted from the door. “Hey, scrap-heap! Get out here! You too, filly!” The sound of Thorn's voice broke his train of thought. He looked at Lilith with a disappointed glare, due to being interrupted yet again. He then shook his head. “Perhaps some other time… though I must warn you Lilith, my story is not a happy one… come, now… let’s go.” He lent his hand once more to let Lilith climb on his back yet again, and left the room. As he closed the door, he looked back on his creation with a smile. “Soon… we will win and achieve my utopia...”